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Ourona
World: Ourona *'Location:' Subsector Meridian *'Type:' Eldar Exodite World *'Tithe:' Nix Ourona has no Imperial presence *'Population:' **'Exodites:' At least ~30 million 000 000 **'Humans: '''Roughly ~50 million 000 000 **'Other:' Roughly ~5 million 000 000 abhumans & other sapient xenos *'Government:' **'Exodites: Theocratic Feudalism. The Exodite lands are ruled by hereditary dynasties and clans. **'''Humans: Feudalism. The human societies are generally bound to kingdoms ruled by noble lines. **'Other:' Varies. Typically tribal. 'Description' An eldar exodite world. Ourona was first discovered by the Imperium during the Belisarian Reclamation crusade, lurking on the far edges of the sector. The command of the crusade quickly deemed it an irrelevance and focused elsewhere, however in its wake one rather foolish Rogue Trader attempted to colonise the world with humans to take advantage of its lush ecosystem. Predictably this colonisation effort ended in failure when the local exodites used their hidden advanced weaponry to drive out the Rogue Trader's forces and destroy all remnants of advanced technology though ultimately (and somewhat grudgingly) decided against massacring the remaining defenceless colonists, so long as their profane technology remained dead. Over two thousand years later in M41, Ourona is still a very well-preserved world unaffected by advanced industry. In general the Exodites are religious in their love for nature, eschewing the advanced technologies of their brethren and adopting simple lives that require personal labour to maintain. Chief amongst exodite culture is the World Spirit, an analogy of the Infinity Circuits found aboard craftworlds, that is said to be comprised of the entire natural biosphere of every Exodite World. Exodites do not need soulstones because their spirit is automatically absorbed into their planet's World Spirit upon their death, so long as they are within the planet's atmosphere. Because of this exodites are often loathe to leave their world for any reason, though sometimes they may don a rare empty soulstone and journey forth should the situation demand it. The World Spirit is also why exodites will fight to the last eldar in the defence of their worlds, for they contain the souls of all the ancestors that have ever lived upon it. Like their brethren all exodites are slightly psychic, however a very small minority of exodites are born with powers far in excess of the norm. These are known as Priest/Priestesses and their psychic abilities tend to focus on the manipulation of nature around them, making them some of the most powerful biomancers in existence, and their powers also afford to them a fantastically long life (typically several thousand years, similar to the Farseers of the craftworld Eldar). Exodite Priest/Priestesses hold positions of high authority in exodite culture, and they are highly valued by their people because their psychic abilities cure disease & heal wounds amongst the people. This allows exodites to live the same long, full lives of their brethren despite the environmental risks associated with primitive living. Priests & Priestesses are also devotees of the Eldar gods, most prominently Isha, and they translate the will of their deities to the common exodites. Ourona is also home to some rather divergent exodite sects. These include the pacifistic Lerrenites, who abhor violence in all its forms. The secretive Barhandrians who take their connection to nature even further, living deep within forests and manipulating all manner of beasts to their will. And the malicious Truakii, a violent, aggressive sect who raid & enslave those they see as weaker than themselves. Meanwhile the humans left over from the failed colonisation attempt have multiplied and prospered in the millennia since, though they are still shackled to a primitive technological base. The pureblood humans that dwell on Ourona in M41 are organised into a number of independent kingdoms and empires, and 'human lands' on Ourona encompass roughly a third of the landmass. However while the exodite lands tend to be more broadly populated by sparser settlements, the human population is much more centralised around larger cities and castles. There are also several abhuman species and other sapient species that dwell upon (or infest) Ourona. These include the tribal Orkin, a species of abhuman that is stronger, slightly larger, and more aggressive than baseline humans, though are less capable of maintaining larger societies due to infighting. There are also tribes of Pelagers that inhabit areas of the ocean, and diminutive Ratling-type abhumans that tend to dwell in more hidden areas. It is believed by some xeno-scholars and Magos biologises that something the environment of Ourona may have precipitated the more rapid development of these abhumans. Of the sapient xenos many are native to Ourona, such as the bark-skinned Woodkin and avian Caszip. The abhumans and lesser xenos tend to occupy much smaller areas and in lower numbers. Perhaps most intriguingly, the psykers that periodically emerge amongst the human & abhuman societies do not exhibit the same unreliable and dangerous links to the warp as is found elsewhere in the galaxy. Instead they very slowly & gradually manifest powers and can enhance them through study & meditation - usually under existing psykers - but maintain a very high degree of control over their powers, and never seem to suffer seriously cataclysmic warp perils. However it is noted that it generally takes Ouronan human psykers far longer to develop their powers than conventional Imperial psykers, and even the greatest of them do not eclipse the skills of a decent Imperial Primaris Psyker. Scholars of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica attribute this phenomenon to power of the planet's World Spirit; that the millennia of exodite souls stored in Ourona's biosphere have a calming effect on warp manifestation. *'Technology:' **'Exodites: '- Other (Exodite) With a few exceptions, Exodites use technology largely equivalent to pre-gunpowder humans. Clothes are made from furs, leathers & plants, buildings from thatch & stone or built amongst the trees themselves. Transportation is usually on-foot or with beasts of burden. Bows, spears and other primitive weapons are the favoured tools for hunting and self-defence. **'Humans: '- Primitive The humans on Ourona only have low technology. Spears and bows are the main weapons of war, and buildings are constructed of carved wood & stone. Society tends to be clustered around small cities built around castles, surrounding which are areas of farmland and forest. **'Others:' - II; None - Primitive The other inhabitants have a tech-level varying from non-existent to basic primitive construction. *'Military:' **'Exodites:' The larger towns and fiefdoms possess dedicated military forces that usually utilise primitive weapons and armour. Despite their apparent lack of technology one important thing the exodites maintain are locked caches of modern eldar weapons & armour, though they only use it against foes who attack with advanced technology. With their hunting experience and advanced physiologies, exodite forces can be very dangerous combatants when using their modern tools. Many exodite forces also utilise fearsome native creatures in combat, and Ourona is no different. There is also believed to be a Haven-class Spire operated by Wuxide Craftworld somewhere in the system, though it only acts against hostile would-be raiders. **'Humans:' The human kingdoms all have their own feudal soldiery, armed with primitive weapons and armour. A species of horse is also widely utilised by the human armies. **'Others:' The abhumans and other xenos do not typically have organised armies. Though can be capable of forming militias or warbands. *'Strategic Importance:' Minima Ourana is located in a strategically important region of space but is not considered worth the trouble of seizing, especially considering the accords with Wuxide Craftworld. *'Loyalty:' **'Exodites: '90% Exodites are fiercely devoted to their families & settlements, however a small minority instead prefer to travel and move between them. Some exodite sects can be far less loyal to each other than others. **'Humans:' 80% The humans tend to be less loyal to their own Lords as they are generally not treated as well by their superiors as Exodites tend to be. **'Others:' 99% The other species and abhumans typically have nothing but their tribe, and as such are fiercely loyal to them alone. 'Notable Locations' Ourona is a lush world that is unmarred by the scars of high tech industry & development. Roughly 60% of the world's surface is deep blue ocean, while the landmasses range from tropical to polar regions and are covered in vast swathes of forest, jungle, rocky mountains, and even desert & tundra regions. Ourona has two main continents: Balestari is located in the eastern hemisphere, relatively narrow and stretching from the upper tropics down to the south pole. Helestari is located in the western hemisphere, encompassing almost a third of the planet's horizontal circumference and mostly occupying the northern hemisphere - though large tracts and strips of land stretch down towards the fringes of the south pole. *'Homelands -' The name given to the large swathes of land inhabited by exodites. This encompasses virtually the entirety of Balestari and the eastern half of Helestari. **'Lerrena' - Dominating the centre of Balestari, this region is home to a large society of pacifistic Exodites that live in peace with their neighbouring regions. Most of Lerrena is rolling hills of grassy fields and deciduous forests. **'Tulescus' - Occupying the northern areas of Balestari, Tulescus is dominated by tropical forests and home to a society of exodites who live tribal lives within the trees. They are known as a hardy, practical people who have chosen an existence of hunting and gathering. **'Findolia' - A large region that occupies the majority of the milder regions of the Helestarian homelands. Findolia was the primary faction that fought against the human colonists when they first arrived, but after wiping out the humans' technology they reluctantly agreed amongst themselves that to massacre the remaining colonists (who were now no better than primitives) with advanced eldar weaponry would be a betrayal of their exodite principles. The Findolian exodites adhere to a medieval-type society built around castles and kingdoms, and the region is ruled by by the Venngwyr Clan, a noble dynasty that has led the region for millennia. They in turn are served by lesser clans who control their own smaller parcels of land. Findolia encompasses much of the Halestarian Homeland's border with the Humanlands. As such has been the most heavily involved with the humans over the centuries, both in conflict against certain human kingdoms or as allies with others. While many exodite sects fail to differentiate at all between the many & varied human kingdoms, Findolia understands well that humans can be even more factioned & fractured than eldar. **'Barhandria' - This region is located south of Findolia, with its western limits bordering both the Humanlands (northwest) and Orkinlands (southwest). It is almost entirely made up of dense forest, primarily deciduous but with areas of tropical forest further south near the equator. The Barhandrians are secretive even by exodite standards, living amongst the trees and commanding all manner of creatures & beasts that live within their forest. They are insular to a violent degree, attacking anyone who dares to cross their borders while armed (including even foolish Findolian exodites), and have a particular dislike of the Orkin. Barhandria is also home to large numbers of Treekin. **'Truakis' - Located northwest of Findolia, this area is dominated by mountains, maze-like canyons and chilly plains. It is inhabited by a faction of exodites who believe that without the foolish pursuit of technology there is nothing wrong with 'the old ways', such as treachery, aggression, and certain excesses. This faction only rose after the introduction of humans to Ourona, and some argue it was the humans' presence that led to this temptation taking root in some of the exodites. The Truakii now live in and around the mountains and caverns of this region, considered an enemy to all as they raid their neighbours for slaves and sport not unlike the Dark Eldar of Commoragh. **'The Bonespires' - This is a large strip of land, the eastern half of which lies within Findolia while the western half lies within humanlands. It is dominated by a species of incredibly tall, narrow tree that grow very close together, allowing the passage of little more than a pair of man between them. The Bonespires are dominated by the Caszip, feathered avian sapients that viciously defend their lands with claw & spear. The bleached skeletons that hang from the trees as warnings to would-be trespassers gives this area its name. *'Humanlands' - Dominating the majority of the western half of Halestari. Predictably the Humanlands are inhabited by the descendants of the original colonists, shackled to a primitive technological base. They exist in a medieval-type feudalistic society, composed of many different kingdoms and living around castles, wooden cities & towns. Like any primitive human culture these kingdoms all too often go to war with each other over territory, resources, and ideology. However only the most foolhardy and aggressive go to war with the exodites of Findolia or Barhandria. Though it is extremely rare to find any humans in the Homelands, it is not uncommon to find exodites in the border regions of the Humanlands, usually for trading with the locals. **'Emberwood' - This large forest is located in the northwestern area of the Humanlands, primarily deciduous in the southern areas but coniferous towards the north. It houses a large population of elusive Treekin, bark-skinned sapients who are naturally timid but can be lethal when threatened. It is also full of large game, making it an excellent hunting ground for humans in the surrounding kingdoms. **'Lord's Coast' - This enormous bay on the western edge of Halestari is where the human colonisation originally landed. Several kingdoms have borders on this large stretch of coast, invariably giving them large fishing industries. The bay is also rife with tribes of Pelagers - aquatic abhumans - many of whom serve as excellent fishermen in exchange for other goods. *'Orkinlands' - Located south of the Humanlands and southwest of Barhandria. The Orkinlands are inhabited by a degenerated race of abhumans known as the Orkin, so named due to their aggressive nature and tribalistic society that echoes that of the hated Orks, albeit to a much lesser degree. Thought to be a stepping stone between pure humans and Ogryns, the Orkin are individually stronger and slightly larger than pure humans, with tough skin, small tusks and an upturned nose. Despite their individual strength they are far too belligerent to form true armies and thus are not a great threat, and usually exist in relative peace with their neighbours (preferring to just fight amongst themselves). Only the more stupid and/or aggressive Orkin will attempt to attack the 'soft' factions, usually experiencing initial success before being eradicated in open battle. Some of the more socially developed Orkin can be found in the Humanlands, where they can face negative prejudice for their heritage but also appreciation for their fighting skills. Category:Planet Category:Subsector Meridian Category:Eldar Category:Exodite World